Kudos to the top 3, because they all did a pretty amazing job this week.

General consensus among the commenters holds that Christopher was robbed out of the win. We can't say we agree.

Model: Katie

Don't get us wrong, it's a great look. He said he wanted a show stopper and he succeeded.

But from where we're sitting, it's just not all that impressive from a technical standpoint, at least not compared to the other two looks in the top three.

From a design perspective, it's a pretty basic look and something that Christopher seems to return to again and again: structured on top, frilly on the bottom.

But what sets it firmly in runner-up status is the fact that the bottom of the dress, the part that's supposed to really wow us, is a basic muslin skirt with a lot of paper leaves attached to it.

Sure, it moved beautifully (and let's not overlook Katie's contribution - she sashayed like her life depended on it) and it was appropriately dramatic. We're not saying it wasn't a great look.

We just think that when you stack it up against Althea and Irina, both of whom offered much more structured garments made entirely out of paper, it doesn't impress us as much.

And speaking of Althea...

Darlings, is there anything more delicious than two prom queens who hate each other? We hope all this angst results in a hair-pulling contest, forcing Tim Gunn to burst into the room Mrs. Garrett-style, yelling "Girls! Girls! You're BOTH pretty!"

Model: Tanisha Harper

To our way of thinking, if anyone got robbed out of the win, it was Althea. This really is a pretty amazing look.

It's not just the fact that it's so structured and that she basically made her own print that makes it so impressive.

It's the fact that it's so form-fitting - and perfectly fitted, to boot. It completely hugs every inch of Tanisha. That was a major risk to take because it increased the likelihood of rippage.

We still stand by the Irina win because it was clever and well done and off the beaten path, but this was a really close second for us.

And most impressive of all, it was a really stylish, chic look. Way to go, Blair. Maybe you can kick Jo's ass next time.

I was very impressed with the amount of work she put into it to create flow of her "print"

I preferred Irina's since it had more texture and pop to it

Christopher did a nice job but as you say, this is standard Christopher MO. It would have been nice if he could have shaped the skirt differently. Maybe even give it a bit of a fishtail hem. Something to give it more variety from what he's already given us. I applaud the effort though regardless

These were extremely strong looks. I wasn't as pleased with the armor top as the judges were. It was nicely shaped and the shade was lovely, but from a comfort and fit standpoint, I just didn't see it. Also, the bottom was a little raggedy. I actually think he could have used some more fullness. Still, I'm impressed that he managed his time well and completed the look without compromising his vision.

I would love to see Althea's look recreated in fabric. How exquisite.

These two designers in particular had a vision from the first and saw it all the way through.

From what I can tell from the videos. It seems like Althea used a muslin base for the dress which it probably why it had the fit then then taped or glued the newspaper bits to it. I was more impressed with Irina's because she made a tailored well fitted coat out of newspaper alone.

Everyone keeps saying how well the dress was fitted, but I thought the bust on Althea's dress was WAY too big for her model. Granted, it was harder to tell because of those feathery things, but the model was jiggling around in there.

By contrast, Christopher's carapace fit much better, especially while she was walking.

I agree with everything said here. In fact, my opinions may be a tad stronger- Christopher's, while interesting from a design standpoint, looked a little messy and I was underwhelmed. I probably would not have put him in the top three.

But Althea's was gorgeous. There was one point on the runway when Tanisha turned and if I didn't know any better I could have sworn the newspaper shimmered. An illusion, of course, due to the way she arranged the print, but at that point I was entirely sold on her dress.

Did anyone else "magically" make trees by cutting slits in rolled up newspapers when you were a kid? That's what Christopher's skirt immediately brought to mind. Well done, but I thought Althea's was much more interesting.

I would have been fine if either Irina or Chris had won. You have to admit when Chris's came down the runway it was a show stopper as was Irina's. Althea's was wonderful but because it was an excellent but seen before silhouette it didn't have that OMG factor. Now seeing the designs up close any one of the three were worthy. Althea's was outstanding in it's own right and perhaps if I could have seen it better I would have had a different opinion earlier.

I would have chosen Althea for the win; Irina's was nice, but I think people aggrandized it. She wasn't making some clever statement, she made a trench coat one could find on a caricature of a french woman, only out of newspaper.

Althea, despite some wrinkles along the midriff, made a very complicated dress that utilized not the newsprint, but the actual paper.

And, yes, people fawned over Christopher's unjustifiably. It was nothing wonderful, it just looked like a homemade Christmas tree in a trailer park.

I wasn't wowed by Irena's on TV -- I couldn't see that the irradescence (Yup that's spelled wrong) was all over - It just looked like one weird patch, like the dress was molting -- Yes, I can appreciate the craftsmanship from the post, Thanks, ~Gary p.s. can't wait for the Irena/Althea/Alex love triangle.

Althea's dress was constructed muslin with paper over top, that's why it fit so well. I wasn't impressed with the print. I also thought the words of death came out of our Desparate Housewife judge when she said "I've worn that dress many times...." The design was not original, even if the print was. I would have been wowed with an original design that utilized the print. As it was, it was blah. I thought Gordana's was nicer than this and fit just as well.

Christopher did create a wow garment, even if it doesn't hold up on closer scrutiny. The judges only look at it from a distance for a short while, so I'm not surprised he was in second. It moved great and Katie rocked it out. But yes, it's basically a similar design to his winning garment. I hope to see more from him in a different direction or he'll remind me of Suede.

I still think Irina deserves the win. I love her coat and love that she didn't do a sleeveless dress. Kudos to her!

I'm sure Christopher's was a formidable undertaking but I'm just not that crazy about the result. I'm not the biggest Carol Hannah fan but I think her dress looked more elegant and wearable. I don't really see what's so great about the hard-as-rock, ill-fitting bodice and the hundreds-of-traced-hand-cutouts skirt.

Also, I liked Irina's but don't understand why lately the judges have been punishing the designers for making wearable outfits that actually look like clothing. It goes against their criticisms every other unusual materials challenge on this show. I'd love TLo's opinion on this.

Everyone keeps saying how well the dress was fitted, but I thought the bust on Althea's dress was WAY too big for her model. Granted, it was harder to tell because of those feathery things, but the model was jiggling around in there.

This. Althea's dress, fit the bust poorly, it was yet ANOTHER little shift dress, and the "print" was hardly more interesting than Gordana's and IMO, less pretty (Gordana's fit better too). Less innovative than Louise's, as well, and less technically-difficult than Epperson's.

I didn't think hers necessarily belonged in the top three...I thought Chris and Irina were clearly the top two, and Althea belongs firmly in the second-tier.

I agree that these we're easily the next two contenders after Irina. But I can't wait until you get to the other bottom two. I still don't understand why Gordana was in the bottom. I think they were a little harsh on her for making it not look like newspaper. I didn't get a close look at Logan's or Epperson's, but neither of them looked as well constructed as Gordana's.

I agree with Irina as the winning pic. It was a complicated look that took a lot of talent to pull together with just newspaper. Althea's was also nice also, but I don't feel like it took as much effort as the trench. In the end her's was a simple collage project on muslin.

Christopher didn't quite pull it together. The bodice looked too garbage-can stiff right next to the fluttery paper. If he had been able to make a transition from bodice to skirt it might have been a winnah. Julia posted 'paper shredder' and I have to agree.

I didn't like Christopher's at all. He really should have gone for the full length he sketched. I also did not think the hard bodice was pretty or innovative. The prom queens tied for me- although the eye-popping collar and sleeves certainly deserved a win.

Am I the ONLY one that thinks Christopher's look is tacky, outdated, and horrifically proportioned? And the fact that he thought THAT was going to be a showstopper? It was basic and boring. I just wish there were more designers with distinct points of view--and I think it was a pretty terrible idea for Lifetime to show the All-Star challenge before this season because it was SUCH a tease to remember how good it used to be.

With that said, this episode definitely showed a LOT of potential in these guys. From both a personality and design point of view.

Anyone else who HATES Christopher's? I know it was the only dress that had much movement (Except Gordana's, my personal fave) which is good and all but eh. It's just kind of... ugly to me. The top is boring and too stiff - it looks like someone forced them to use stiff plastic - and the skirt is kind of... little shredded bits of paper stuck all over muslin. Looked like exactly what it was - unlike Irina's little shredded bits of paper which looked like a beautiful texture to me.

Blair ftw. I really preferred Althea's over the other two for the perfect structure and the absolutely gorgeous use of the muted newspaper print. Yes, the shape on Irina's coat was lovely, but the dirty putty color was bland and would wash anyone out, including her model. The fact that Irina did nothing with either color or pattern was a big disappointment to me. And I did like Christoper's idea for the "hard top," but in execution it seemed ill-fitting.

I thought Chris had the best Until I looked at the pics here. It had great movement, but kinda was a mess in the stills. The right designer won, more original. All the others looked pretty much the same.

Gotta tell you, this was the first LA/PR I've watched without resorting to parallel activities out of sheer boredom. I worked at Hallmark in the 60's when the paper dresses were sold, and had two or three. While a short-term fashion they were nonetheless fun and so was this challenge.

I adored Althea's dress and the way she used the newsprint. The most effective garments eschewed the paint and went with the "fabric" in its basic form.

So not getting the Althea love in general. I think she's the most overrated of the season. Her winning design was a mess, this didn't impress me and I didn't like her maternity outfit that the judges loved, either.

IMO Althea's dress showed a very nice eye for graphical patterns applied to a fairly ordinary little sheath. To me, it wasn't that exciting a creation because the dress itself was pretty ho-hum. And the bust had big fit issues, which matters a lot with this style of dress.

Christopher's had pizzazz, too, and I liked that he thought texturally like Irina. But frankly, I thought Louise and Epperson both had more interesting offerings than either Christopher or Althea.

One other puzzlement to me: They hammered on Gordana's creation -- it looked to me that, like Althea, she used carefully selected strips of paper for color and pattern -- because it looked too much like normal clothing. Why would this criticism not apply to Althea's dress, too, where she created a fabric-y print, and then made a nice little sleeveless sheath out of it. The judging had me scratching my head.

Nice to see real creativity all around, though. The best and most enjoyable episode so far, by far.

Christopher's confused me. Wasn't the challenge to make something out of newspaper? So why use pattern board and risk getting disqualified for an unauthorized material? He could have used a muslin base for the corset, paper maiche it and had something much less stiff without any risk factor for using cardboard instead of newspaper.

What's with all the Althea hate from the commenters? I have to wonder if some of it's backlash because of her looks.

I'm glad TLo is seeing what I do in this one because I was starting to think I was nuts. It may just be a dress, but none of the others came close to creating a dress the way she did, using the patterns to make a fabric that hugged and enhanced her model's form - including Gordana. I did like Irina's coat best, but Althea's dress was the clear second place for me.

I was so much more excited for Chris before he added the "feathers". It just lost something and looked 'crafty' afterwards. Clearly A LOT of work and it flowed beautifully on the runway, but Irina and Althea edged him out in design and execution.robertryan

I'm biased against Althea because her complete lack of emotion, personality, and charisma rubs me the wrong way, but even I thought she deserved the win on this. I wanted that dress, paper or no. Even though I like him much more than Althea, I thought Christopher's dress was tacky and hideous and I couldn't believe he was in the top 3.

Chris's look was a distant third for me. I hated the bodice, it looked like ill-fitting armour and it drove me crazy - I kept wanting someone to grab the back and pin it up the back with clothespins. The skirt was fun but the look as a whole wasn't in the same ballpark as Irina's or Althea's.

Oh, and can anyone tell me WHY Gordana was in the Bottom 3? She finally gets singled out and it's at the BOTTOM? Ok, maybe her look wasn't terribly fashion-forward but it was well-made and cute. Frankly I'd have put her in the third spot over Chris, but that's just me...

I am confused as to why Althea was in the top and Gordana was in the bottom. I thought they had similar strengths: clean design, interesting pattern, nice fit, and since Gordana didn't use Muslin, shouldn't that have put her in the top instead of Althea?

Also: just because Christopher's dress was long doesn't mean it belonged in the top three.

I like both Althea's and Gordana's dresses much better..

Where are Michael and Nina?

all that being said, I could watch challenges like this all the live long day!

I think while Christopher's dress took a lot of effort, it just didn't hold up to the taste of the others in the top. His dress was pretty, but it felt very amateur. The fitted bodice and flowy skirt seems like it is so overdone, and I didn't like the feathers. I liked the IDEA of the feathers, but I think with a different feather pattern (maybe not as spiky?) he could have elevated his dress to a whole other level.

I did/do not understand the fuss over Christopher's dress. The top is paper mache, the bottom looks like an elementary school craft project. It was basically a big circle with little pieces glued to it. No thought at all, as far as I can tell, to what the print was doing other than being black and white.And I loved Althea's, but she loses points for being catty.

Chris's entry too much like Keith from previous PR. Too shredded wheat, not pretty. Top was a good effort but not a wearable item.

Althea's was a beautiful work. I knew the coat would win for its cuteness and 60's feel, like an original paper dress from way back when. She missed in some ways but it was worthy of a win. Whomever said Althea's dress needed to be paired with Irina's coat - that's the ticket.

By the way - this season is almost unwatchable, but for the basic premise. Horrible compared to all other years. Talk about Heidi over-exposure. It is plantet Heidi with little inferior countrymen/women crawling along underneath. Who died and made this semi intellingent soft port model queeen of the fashion universe? Appalling.

Okay, now I've seen the close up stills - I would have given the win to Althea - I am waaay more impressed with how she worked the structure of her dress with the patterning on the paper. And even though she didn't attempt the difficult feat of newspaper sleeves, her garment looked FAR more like an actual garment that was to be worn. And I agree with Gordana that the challenge was, [putting in my own words] indeed to make a garment out of newspaper, not to make a wearable newsprint craft project.

I'm not super bent out of shape about it though, Irina's was a good piece and, as I said before, she gets points for NOT doing another pretty little dress.

Chris' had impact, but I thought it looked too much like two unrelated pieces. I'd have been more taken with it if there had been something tying top and bottom together.

Considering the time constraints and the material used, I was impressed by almost all the designers' offerings (yes, Johnny's really was ho-hum, blah, blah blah).

In fact, I honestly think that this group of designers are more talented, as a group, than the last season or two of PR.

This season's suffered from legal technicalities (that had nothing to do with the designers themselves), editing has been rather blah (that had nothing to do with the designers themselves) and an unfortunate one-year lag time that makes some of these designs already past their due-date by the time they first hit the TV screens (that had nothing to do with the designers themselves).

But the *talent* and the designs from this group is very good, I find.

Far better than The Show That Causes Me To Cat-Butt-Mouth So I Can't Even Type It and far better than Season 5's group at this stage.

And even if I now would like to see some of them break out into ~ FaNtAsTiC ~ territory in the near future, at least we're not sitting here having to watch the rediculousness of a Blayne or Suede eating up time with fake drama and bad design.

I loved how Althea worked in the print patterns so well. And I liked the back of the dress. Interesting details.

Christopher's dress was stunning, too.

These two dresses seemed to have two very strong very different styles and the dresses were constructed very well, considering the limitations.

I like both on their own merits and I've been pleased with the the design output this season so far (OK, maybe not the challenge perimeters, but that had nothing to do with the designers).

I like Althea's more on second look (altho Irina definitely deserved the win.) I do not get the Christopher was robbed comments, alas. The skirt was interesting and was well-constructed. I thought the top moved funny tho and I wasn't that excited by it.

Althea's is most impressive, maybe a bit more impressive than Irina's, but I won't quibble with the judges' decision. Christopher's did not impress me at all. I think there were one or two other designs that were more deserving of the top three.

Althea has a quilterly way of working with the newspaper. The patterns and tones flow like a watercolor quilt.

It is interesting how different garments can look standing still, as opposed to alive and walking down the runway. In these still photos I wouldn't necessarily choose Christopher's dress as the winner, but the way it moved, when I saw it walking the runway, I had it pegged as the winner.

I liked Althea's a lot because although it made great use of the material it also transcended it. It wasn't immediately apparent that the dress was made of newspaper, and so you could conceivably imagine it being worn in the real world. Whereas to me Irina's looked like a very clever design in a newspaper challenge in a reality show--but not something that was so imaginative or amazing outside that setting. As for Chris's--I really didn't like the boxiness of the top and the gaping hole where the bodice met the skirt. I thought that pushed it into the realm of a craft project.

I'm not really a big fan of Althea's. I would have put her coat/jacket/etc win in the 'safe' not top or bottom group, and I honestly thought this dress was terribly boring. I thought the 'print' was rather unattractive, although that's easily a taste kind of thing.

It didn't seem particularly innovative OR difficult to make and I didn't think it was as flattering as some of the other garments. So far she hasn't really wowed me.

Every few seasons there's someone the judges or the fans are really nuts about that like... I really just don't get it at all. I'm not saying her stuff is ugly, or something, but I don't think she's deserved the win either time.

I liked Althea's a lot, but I'm surprised you guys are being so bubbly over the fit. I thought it was fitted terribly -- that crease in the waist and that horribly huge bust are not flattering.

I'm not a big fan of Dr. Whitfield, but both she and Logan did a much better job molding the newspaper to fit their model's bodies. (Is this a good time to mention that I still have no idea how he didn't make top 3?)

I know I'm not the first to mention it, but that horizontal crease in Althea's dress drove me nuts. Couldn't stop staring at it, and wondering why she didn't pop it out the way one would backhammer a dent in a car. That said, I did like the pattern she created.

Donna, how could shirin have copied Anna when PR was filmed waaaaaay before the fashion show aired? It was probably filmed last fall and production was wrapped up during fashion week in february. TFS didn't premiere til a few months after.

Did anyone else "magically" make trees by cutting slits in rolled up newspapers when you were a kid? That's what Christopher's skirt immediately brought to mind. Well done, but I thought Althea's was much more interesting.Perhaps if Christopher had used that technique instead of basically gluing shredded paper onto muslin, it may have pushed him up tp the win. As it was the cluing coupled with the fact that he has used that silhouette before, put him in second place.

As for Shirin stealing Anna's look, I think we need to remember this was filmed a year ago. Also Anna didn't exactly invent some new shape, it has been used before.

All in all, I have no problem with the judges decisions on who was top and bottom this week.

When Althea's design first came out, I thought it was okay, not great. Then when her model turned and the fan design appeared, I loved it! Definitely my pick to win. I don't think Althea is the least bit overrated--she's done a great job. I also don't understand all the Althea-hate I've been reading on the blogs, particularly those calling her out for being catty. Excuse me? Have you not been listening to the trash talk Irina's been spewing the last 2 episodes about her? Not a soul has dinged points on Irina for that. Whether or not you liked last week's winning design, Irina, 3 judges AND Tim Gunn loved it. While I don't know about the taste level of the 2 guest judges, I do know that I respect Tim Gunn's judgement. So I kind of figure Irina should tone down her cattiness by half and actually congratulate the winner. After seeing Althea's response to the winners and losers of past episodes, you can be sure she congratulated Irina this week.

There used to be these centerpieces for the holidays that were flat and then you pulled them out, accordion fashion, and they looked a little bit like Shirin's skirt. I think I saw Bjork wearing a skirt like that (but way more ornate and like the centerpieces) several years ago.

The observation about the torn-paper "tree" things was on the money.

My problem with Christopher's dress was that one of the biggest reasons the skirt moved well was that it WAS MADE OF FABRIC, not paper. I know they were allowed to use muslin as a base, but he went whole hog with it, and it doesn't seem that the other designers did. Maybe I'm not being fair, but that made his less impressive than someone who used more paper.

Kaonashi said..."While I like his designs, I'm beginning to feel like Chris sends out the same look every week but in different fabrica and lengths: fitted bodice, full skirt."

Much like Rami did! You can be a one trick pony if you do that trick better than anyone else living...I give you Coco Channel as exhibit 1.

Spent yesterday at the mall going through all most every store from low to high end looking for a black silk blouse and I can tell you that all of what Chris has produced to date and 90%of what Epperson is doing is very much "on trend" for fall 2009 from designer bridge wear lines to mass-market RTW knock off lines. I was really very surprised as the current season of PR was filmed over a year ago.

Had Chris not made a wonky, ugly top to that gown, and not made a goofy length on it, it just might have won. I, personally, thought it was silly looking, but then, I'm not on the judging panel, thank heavens, because by now, I would have decked a couple of those "judges"!!!I loved Althea's dress. The only critique I have is the fit around the waist, but that is really minor, because the design is so great.

I, too, wonder why Gordana was in the bottom 3 rather than the top. For the judges to say that her dress looked too much like fabric and too wearable and then give kudos to Althea for the same thing just doesn't make sense. I think Christopher's would have been better if the skirt were shorter.

Team Althea all the way on this one! Her dress was stunning - it really looked like clothing, not a sloppy paper craft project. Loved the pattern she created and all the interesting details that elevated a simple dress. I would have given her the win.

Christopher's sketches were killer and I loved the concept. But the execution didn't quite work.

I think some of the Althea hate here is due to many people feeling that she shouldn't have won last week's episode.

There is no question that her dress this time around was chic and eye-catching. The pattern she made with the paper strips was absolutely stunning. It was a masterful creation.

I do agree with Shirin's coat for the win, but Althea's spectacular dress was a very close second, with Chris's floaty dress a hair's breath behind the other two. The judges must have been delighted to have to choose among three such stunning garments -- made of newspaper, no less!

I must say, on the whole this a talented group. Hard to think of anyone (other than the weirdo Miss Fish) who seems not capable of winning a single challenge. Lovely, interesting stuff and some good skills. I hope they throw some more intriguing challenges at them to separate the wheat from the rye.

I'm not an Althea fan. Her winning outfit left me cold, and this one was fitted too tight in the waist and too loose in the bust. I'm also not a fan of this skirt length, which looks good only with a slim silhouette on very thin women. Irina's coat was clearly the winner. Chris's bodice was too stiff, but I liked his idea of feathering the paper.

When they were asking Chris about the bodice, I was perplexed that the judges were questioning what is was made of (pardon my dangling preposition). Um, PAPER. GLUE! It's called Papier Mache. Hellooooo, who didn't go to summer camp?

Thank you, TLo, for introducing some reality into the discussion about Christopher's dress. If a not cute boy had sent that down the runway, people would have seen it for what it was, which was not much.

Althea got robbed but Irina was great was well. Christopher should not have been in the top three.

Loved Althea's, was underwhelmed by Irina's. I thought Irina's looked bulky and heavy, and I wasn't that fond of the drawn-on elements (I think I've seen sharpie effects way overused in art school, so that might just be a personal bias), whereas I thought Althea's self-made print was pretty fabulous. I like how the print complimented the structure of her dress, and I thought the fit was pretty spectacular for the material.

As much as drama can be fun, I'm not all about Irina's attitude. I thought she did some pretty middle-tier stuff so far, and while this look certainly was a stand-out for her, I haven't thought of her as one of the strongest contestants. It's still early in the game, so she could totally be a powerhouse and I might eat my words, but right now I'm still rooting for cute little Shirin.

Hmmm...I did not love Chris's dress at all. I thought it was solid middle of the pack. I hated the top of it and thought it had no relation to the bottom, and I still think the bottom looks cheap and not really full enough for what he was going for. I loved that Althea made a subtle, chic print out of newspaper but the crinkling in the front distracted me; I didn't see the "perfect fit." Ultimately Irina's made me gasp it was so chic and that ultimately deserves the win.

Before I read this blog, I had no idea who Blare, Jo, and Mrs. Garrett were. A wiki check resulted in the most sexually frustrating intro to the Facts Of Life ever.So my question is... shld I be thanking you boys or plotting revenge?

I thought the pattern on Althea's was great, but I don't understand why everyone was raving about the fit. The waist of the dress seems bunched up and crumpled. almost like we were back in pregnancy challage. I also find it intresting how everyone on here seems to follow TLo's opinions like sheep. In the previous post about Irina's win everyone kept saying Chris was robbed, now that TLo have stated they think otherwise, everyone now has complaints and major issues with his dress.

I loved Christopher's dress. It moved really nicely. I don't see why everyone like Irina's so much. Sure, the girl has some talent, and her outfits later in the series were amazing, but in this challenge, it didn't float my boat. Christopher was robbed!!!

Christopher's dress was so gross. A big long shapeless skirt with a bunch of cut paper fluttering from it. And the rock-hard top was not a nice shape. It was rather as if Fred Flintstone bought it for Wilma at the Hollowed Boulder Dress Store in Colorao.